Where to watch Padma Awards 2026 today
What's the story
The prestigious Padma Awards 2026 ceremony will be held in New Delhi on May 25. The event will honor several distinguished personalities from the fields of cinema, music, sports, etc. President Droupadi Murmu will present the awards during the first Civil Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan. This year, the Government of India announced 131 Padma honors. These comprise five Padma Vibhushan awards, 13 Padma Bhushan honors, and 113 Padma Shri recognitions.
Live broadcast
How to watch the ceremony
The Padma Awards 2026 ceremony will be live-streamed on Akashvani Gold, Indraprastha, AIR Live News24x7, and the official Akashvani AIR YouTube channel. The event is scheduled to begin at 5:00pm IST. According to PTI, Murmu will present 66 awards at the ceremony. These include two Padma Vibhushan, six Padma Bhushan, and 58 Padma Shri honors. The remaining awardees will be felicitated in a second ceremony later.
Posthumous honor
Hema Malini to receive Dharmendra's Padma Vibhushan honor
This year, numerous celebrities from the field of arts are being honored. The legendary actor Dharmendra will be posthumously honored with the Padma Vibhushan. His contribution to Indian cinema spans several decades, with audiences continuing to celebrate his performances and screen presence even today. The late actor is known for films such as Sholay, Chupke Chupke, and Phool Aur Patthar. His wife, actor Hema Malini, will receive his award.
Awardees
Mammootty, Alka Yagnik, R Madhavan among awardees
Malayalam cinema legend Mammootty will receive the Padma Bhushan for his immense contribution to Indian films. Playback singer Alka Yagnik will also be honored with the Padma Bhushan for her remarkable contribution to Indian music. Actor R Madhavan has been chosen for the Padma Shri. He is widely recognized for performances in films such as Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein, 3 Idiots, and Rocketry: The Nambi Effect. Late actor Satish Shah has been honored with the Padma Shri (posthumous).
Additional awardees
Prosenjit Chatterjee, Anil Kumar Rastogi
Bengali cinema superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee will also be honored with the Padma Shri. He is known for his nearly five-decade career with more than 350 films to his credit. Veteran actor and theater personality Anil Kumar Rastogi (Thappad) has been selected for the Padma Shri for his contribution to theater, cinema, and academia. Other honorees from the arts this year include the late Piyush Pandey, Shatavadhani R Ganesh, Arvind Vaidya, and Bharat Singh Bharti, among others.